Apparatus for treating hydrocarbons



Dec. 22, 1925 F. G. NIECE APPARATUS FOR TREATING HYDROCARBONS y Filed July l, 1922 Patented Dec., 22, 119.25.

' UNITED STATE-s- '1,566,341 PATENT OFFICE.

FEED e. NIECE,- or CLEvELAND,. OHIO, AssIeNoE To TIIE INTERNATIONAL HOLDING COMPANY, OE CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OE OIIIO.

.APPAATIIS 'FOR TREATING HYDROCABBONS. .Y

Application 'led July 1,

Taal /whomz'tmay concern: v

e it known that I, FRED G. NIECE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio', have invented new and useful Improvements Ain vApparatus for Treating Hydrocarbons, if which the following is a specification'.

vJFhisinventiOn relates to improvements in apparatus for treating hydrocarbons, and more especially to an apparatus in which. hydrocarbon to be cracked is fed by an upright pipe or pipes which extend and discharge into a molten body penetrable by hydrocarbons and heated to but not Vaporizable at the required. hydrocarbon-cracking temperature` and contained in a receptacle in which hydrocarbons are to be subjected' to the heat of and withimsaid molten body.

In the use of 'a receptacle supplied with said molten body into which discharge a stationary hydrocarbon-feeding pipe or pipes extending from above and into said molten body it has been found that, when the heat- 'iig of said lreceptacle and contents are inter-l ruptedas'required for an interruption in the Operation of the apparatus preparatory to making repairs, 'or for any other reason such, for instance, as a temporary exhaustion or stoppage in the supply of hydrocarbon, said molten body coolsand becomes a solid body by which said pipe or pipes are tightly embraced and, when said receptacle and contents are again being heated as required for y a resumption of the operation'of the apparatus, there may be such an abnormal rise in the 'pipe-embracing cooled and solidified material as to result in a detrimental, if not ruinous, buckling, crumpling or distortion of said pipe orpipes.

The primary object of this invention is ,to positively prevent said buckling, crumpling.

or distortion of'said pipe or pipes.

Another objectl is to have said lpipe or pipes movable endwise without interruptingv the supply o f hydrocarbon thereto.

Another object is to conduct hydrocarbon I' from a stationary pipe externally of the hereinbefore mentioned receptacle to said.

internal endwise movable pipe or pipes without interrupting communication between said external pipe and Vsaid-internal pipe or pipes during'endwise movement of said internalpipeor. pipes, and to render the con- 1922. serial No. 572,119.

struction of the connection between said external pipe and said internal pipe or pipes l 'member formed internally of the `upper end portion of said'receptacle, to have the hereinbefore-mentioned endwisefmovable pipe or pipes' connected to said stationary tubular member by a sleeve which embraces and is 'movable endwise of and extends below said stationaryl tubular member and participates in establishin communication between said stationary tu ular member and -said`-pipe or pipes,so that said pipe or pipes have not Aonly a limited endwise movement but are expansible and contraotible .endwise indeendently of said, stationary tubular/mem.- er. Another Object` is to insure lowering of said endwise movable pipe or pi es upon a rise Ofsaid pipe or pipes from t eir lowermostposition. i

l YWiththese objects in view,"and to attain-r other objects hereinafter ap caring, this invention consists in certain eatures of construction, and combinations and relative arrangements O parts, hereinafter described in this s ecification, pointed out in the" claims, an illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Y 1

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation,`iy largely in section and partly diagrammatic, of my aim roved apparatus.

1 .-52 showsa p orti )n O Fig. 1 on a larger Sca e.l Figs. 3 and e are horizontal sections taken alon the line 3--3 and line 4-4 respectivel'y' 1n Fig. 2, looking upwardly. Fig. 5 is av horizontal section taken along the line 5-45 in 2, looking downwardly.

Referrinv'to saiddrawin s, A, in Fig. 1,

luns

i-ndicates-thel casing of -a l eating furnace y coniprisin an oil-burner B the flames or re 7 issuing rom which, during the operation of the.furnace,'enter the combustion and heating chamber 8 thro-ugh an aperture 9 in the furnace-front. Said chamber extends rearwardly from said aperture and thence upwardly, as at 10, and discharges at its upper end into a flue 11 communicating `at its lower end, as at 12, with a stack 13. Surrounded by the. portion 10 of said chamber is a hydrocarbon-cracking receptacle shown consisting of a steel base 15, a top steel seccracking chamber, and the base 15 has a` cavity 18 forming the lower end of said chamber. The tube 17 communicates at its upper end with the chamber 19 formed interlorly of the top section 16 and forming the upper end portion of the hydrocarboncracking chamber. Preferably adjacent ends of the 'base 15 and tube 17 are welded togetheiyr'nd adjacent ends of the top section'16 and tube 17 have external flanges 20 removably secured to ether, as at 21, by

bolts and nuts.- The c amber 19 in the top' section 16 is closed at its upper end by a steel head 2.2 removably secured to the body of said section by bolts and nuts, as at 23. Preferably the chamber 19 measures in diameter at its lowerend substantially the same as the Vinternal diameter of the. tube 17 y and is diametrically larger above its lower end portion and shown provided with an outwardly and downwardly extending pipe 25 having a normally closed valve 26.' i

Within and centrally of the lower end portion of the hereinbefore mentioned hydrocarbon-c'racking chamber is an invertedcup-shaped member 27 of steel. Said member 27 is rigid with an upright tubular member 28which is `rigid at its lower end with the base 15 and dlscharges intothe chamber 29 formed interiorly of the member 27 and communicates with a. bore 30 formed in A ipp 31- for. conducting fuel oil, or other liqui ydrocarbon to be .Qtreated,' extends from above and into the pgrtion 10 of the heating chamber to the base'l15 to which said pipe is secured. Said pipe 31 'discharges throu h `thebore 30 into the tubular member 28g. the base 15 to a point nenrtheup er end ol theportion 10 of the -lleatingc amber,`

with heat-resisting material such, for nsaid receptacle.

The pipe 31 is shown covered, f'rdm l stance, as asbestos 32. A. diagrammatically illustrated oil-pump 33, arranged externally of the furnace, is interposed between the pipe 31 and a pipe 34 by which liquid hydrocarbon is supplied. Said-pump is employed in forcing liquid hydrocarbon from the pipe 34 into the pipe 31 which has a diagrammatically illustrated check-valve 35 for preventing return o'f oil in said pipe.

A vapor-conducting pipe 36, forming the vapor-outletfof the hereinbefore mentioned hydrocarbon-'cracking receptacle, communi- Cates lwith the diametrically larger portion of the chamber 19 in the section 16 of said receptacle and is employedin conducting gases and vapors from said'receptacle to laj condenser (not shown).

The head 22 of the top section 16 of the hydrocarbon-crackin receptacle is provided, at its inner si e and centrally, with a vertically downwardly projecting tubular member 38 which is therefore arranged in and centrally of the upper end portion of Said member 38 is therefore stationary and preferably circular in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 3, and adapted to receive hydrocarbon gases at its upper end and discharge at its lower end. Said member 38 is embraced or surrounded by a correspondingly vertically arranged steel sleeve or cylinder C which is movable endwise of and guided by said member 38 and spaced at its upper .end downwardly from t e upper end of and extends below said member 38 and has an integral head 40 at its 'lower end, and 41 indicates a chamber formed internally of said cylinder C between the head 40 and the lower end face of the member 38. 42 (see Fig. 1) indicates a pipe for supplying hydrocarbon gases and vapors which are obtained from any suitable source and include free hydrogen and unsaturated hy- 'drocarbon compounds, and a diagrammatically illustrated gas-pump 43 is interposed between the pipe 42 and a pipe 45 which is connectedby a union or coupling 47 to and'communicates with a pipe 46 threadcd into and centrally of the head 22. The pipe 45 discharges atthe upper end of and into thetubular member 38.

The lower end portion of the member 38 (see'Figs. 2 and 4) is provided, at its outer circumference, with `vertically spaced annular grooves 50, and each groove 450 is engaged by a split resilient and expansible and co-ntractible steel packing ring 51 snugly embraced by the sleeve or cylinder C and participating in the formation of a substantially Huid-tight joint between said cylinder land the member 38. Th packing rings 51,

and also the opposing vertical surfaces of the members 38 and C are lubricated in any approved manner as, for instance, by graphite. As already hereinbefore indicated, the

. able endwise ofthe stationary tubular mem- Aponent parts o .resulting ber 38 and is arranged with its head 40. arranged under the lower end face of said member 38, and spaced downwardly from said face in the lowermost position of safid cylinder in the lowermost position of said cylinder and said cylinder 4is shown provided (see Figs.' 1 2 and 5) with a lurality of short inclined with the chamber 41 and are spaced circumferentially of the central portion of and extend downwardly and outwardly from said head. Each pipe-section 52 is connected and `placed in communication, by an elbow 53,

with an upright pipe 55 arranged under the lower end of said plpe-section 52 and wholly internally of the hydrocarbon-cracking rec'eptacle. Each pipe 55 (see Fig. 1) iis loosely seated, at its lower end, on the inverted-cupsha ed member 27 and has its lower end re erably formed as required to discharge aterally and inwardly. Obviously, therefore, the are movab e vertically or endwise, and the member 27 constitutes means for limiting descent of said pipes and connected c linder.

The pi es 55 extend throu h a p uralit of vertica ly spaced downwary flaring ba fle-members vD arranged between the to of the furnace and the lower ends of said plpes. Each balile-member D has a central hole or passage 57 extending, vertically .through the aflie-member. 'Preferably each baffle-member`D is welded to and braces apart the` pipes 55. e

Wherever r uired the joints between comel the apparatus are rendered Huid-tight and capable of withstanding heat and strains to which said arts may be subjected, and in making sai par-ts such metal or material as will withstand the heat and wear and tear to which said parts may be subjected is used. o

The hydrocarbon-cracking receptacle 4 is lsupplied with a low-melting metal or material such, for instance, as lead which has a meltlng point lower than the temperature required to be established and maintained in said receptacle during the operation of the apparatus and is readily penetrable, in a molten condition, by hydrocarbon fluids and -not vaporizable at said temperature. E,.in

Fig. 1, indicates a molten column or body from the melting of a mass of small pieces of solid lead supplied to said receptacle preferably preparator to the-introduction of the ipes 55 lan connected sleeve or cylinder and baillemembers .D-

into said receptacle, and of course said pipes' and/,connected cylinder and bathe-members are lowered into said-receptacle preparatory to the application of the headL 22. Preferably such a uantity of low-melting metal is introduced into the hydrocarbon-cracking pipe-sections 52 w ich communicate ipes and connected cylinder 55u i chamber that'the surface ofthe molten body 'y above the uppermost baffle-member D and therefore below the upper ends of the pipes 55. The base 15 'of the hydrocarbon-cracking chamber is shown provided with a drain-pipe 58 through which, upon opening a normally closed valve 59 with which said pipe is provided, the molten metal may be drained from said chamber.

The hereinbefore'- mentionedfurnace 'is operated as required 'to heat the hydrocarbon-cracking receptacle and contents to and maintain'them at a hydrocarbon-crackinap `temperature varying from about four lundred to about seven hundred and .fifty degrees centigrade according to the nature of the liquid hydrocarbon to be treated, and the molten body E is therefore maintained at said temperature during the operation of the apparatus.

By operating the oil-pump 33 and gaspump .43 liquid hydrocarbon is forced through the ipe 31, bore 30, tubular member 28 and (Siamber 29 in the member 2T into the lower portion of the molten body E, .and hydrocarbon gases and vapors are forced to and through the pipe 46 and tubular member 38 to and through the pipes 55 intoA said portion of said molten body and discharged into the molten body between the' member 27 and the lowermost of the-baillemembers D, and I would here remark that preferably the member 27 and the member 38 and lcylinderll are substantially in linel vertically.

By the hereinbeforeL described construction and relative arrangement of the parts it will be observed that the pipes 55 have a limited range of movement vertically or endwise and extendinto the molten body E from a point spaced u wardlyfrom the level or surface of said mo ten body, that the inverted-cup-shaped membei` 27 forms a seat for said ipes 55 in the lowermost position of the p1pes,that the sleeve or cylinder C is adequately spaced at its upper extremity downwardly'v from the upper extremity of the stationary tubular member 38 in the lowermost position of the pipes 55 and embraces or surrounds said member 38 in any position of the cylinder and connected pipes 55, that the headl()I of said cylinder is adequately spaced downwardly from the lower end fa'ce ofthe member 38 in the lowermost position of the pipes 55, that the packing rmgs 51Iare embraced by said cylinder in any position of the c linder and connecte plpes 55, that sai cylinder constitutes means establishing and maintaining communication between the memberv 38 and the pipes 55 in any position and during endwise movement of said pipes and connected cylinder, and lthat therefore the connection 'between the pilpe 46 and the pipes 55 is such It Will be observed that the movabilityof the pipes 55 and connected sleeve or cylinder C inthe direction of the head 22 prevents distortion of or injury to said ipes during the presence in the receptac e of 4any force or agencyhaving a tendency to actuate said pipes in said direction, that the attachmentv of said pipes 55 only to said cylinder permits'expansion of said pi es endwiseindependentlyof or a greater Clis-Vv tance than the expansion-endwise of the stationary tubular member 38|and thereceptacle provided"with saidn'iember 38 Without distortion of or injury to the pipes, and that expansion andlcontraction of said pipes 55 independently of said receptacle or its member 38 donot interfere with the maintenance of communication between each of said pipes and the hydrocarbon-feeding pipe 46.

l/Vhat I claim is-- v 1 l. Hydrocarbon-treating; apparatus comprising a closed receptacle which has a vapor-outlet, an uprightstationary tubular member at the upper portion of said receptacle, a molten body containedin said receptacle and penetrable"by-hydrocarbons and not vaporizable at therequired hydrocarboncracking temperature, means for supplying hydrocarbon-gases under pressure to said statonary-tubular member,v air-,u right cylinder arrangedginternally oflthelja oresaid receptacle and connected to and -movable endwise of 'and communicating 'with lthe aforesaidat thel upper portionl-ofisaid hydrocarbon.

cracking receptacle,*means for supplying fluid under pressure into said cylinder from a point.` externally of the molten-body-contalning receptacle,a feed-pipe connected to and. movable with'said cylinder, and means independent of said pipe rand connected cylinder for supplying hydrocarbons into the molten body,sai d pipe extending into and communicating with the molten body.

f 3. Hydrocarbon-treating apparatus comprising a hydrocarbon-cracking receptacle tareas-11 a hydrocarbon gas under pressure to said stationary tubular member from a po nt externally o-t said receptacle, a cylinder connected to and slidable endwise of said stationary tubular member, and an upright pipe arranged internallyof said 'receptacle and connected to said cylinder, said pipe and connected cylinder having a limited endwise movement, and said pipe bein adapted to be employed in feeding the hy rocarbon gas received thereby into 'the aforesaid. molten body and communicating with the aforesaid stationary tubular member in any position of the pipe and connected cylinder.

4. Hydrocarbon-treating apparat-us comprising .a hy'drocarbon-cracking receptacle which has a vapor-outlet, a ,molten Ybody contained in said receptacle and penetrable by hydrocarbons and not vaporizable at the required hydrocarbon-cracking temperature, an upright, stationary tubular member at the upper endof said receptacle, means for conducting hydrocarbon. gas to said sta. tionar tubular member from a point external y of said receptacle, a cylinder slidably embracing said stationary tubular member and having a head arranged under the lower end face of said stationary tubular member, a pipe internally. of the aforesaid lreceptacle and attached to said headpt said cylinder, said pipe and, connected cylinder having a limited en'dWise movement, the aforesaid stationary tubular member being surrounded by said cylinder in any position of sai-d pipe and connected cylinder, and said pipe being/in communication at its upper end with said stationary tubular member in any position of the pipe and connected cylinder and extending downwardly below the aforesaid head of said cylinder andcommunicating with the aforesaid molten body in any posltionof saidpipe and connected cylinder. l

5. Hydrocarbon-treating apparatus comprising a closed receptacle which has a vapor-outlet, a moltenbody contained inl said receptacle and penetrable by hydrocarbons and not vaporizable at the required. hydrocarbonrcracking temperature, an up- .right pipe adapted'to be employed-in feeding hydrocarbon gas to said molten body, sa1d pipe extending into and movable end- Wise.y in said molten body, a pi e externally of the receptacle .and adapte to be employed in supplying hydrocarbon gas to said endwise movable pipe, means for establishing and. maintamlng communication bepipe,

tween said'pipes during endwise movement and in any position of said endwise movable a member arranged to form a seat for .said endwise movable pipe in the lowermost positionof the pipe and having an interior f chamber which is in communication with the y most osition of the pipe.

moltenl bo'dy, and means for supplying hydrocarbons to said chamber. -1

i 6. App lcomprising a closed rece tacle which has a vapor-outlet, a molten bo y contained in said receptacle and penetrable by hydrocarbons and not Va stationary tubular member at the upper portion of said receptacle, means for supplying hydrocarbon gas. to said tubular lmember from a point externally of said receptacle, an endwise movable upright pipel internally of said receptacle,

means whereby communication between said stationary tubular member and said movable pipe is establishedin any position of said pipe, a st-ationary inverted-cup-shaped member internally of the Y ceptacle, and means for supplying hydrocarbons to the chamber formed interiorly of said inverted-cup-shape'd member, said inverted-cup-shaped member forming a seat for the aforesaid movable pipe in the lower- Ycommunication between said"'pipes during endwise movement and in any position of said endwise movable pipe.

8. Hydrocarbon-treating apparatus comaratus of the character indicated' orizable at the desired hydro-l carbon-crac ing temperature, -an uprlghtv lower end portionotI said reprisin paratus com- 7 prising a hydrocarbon-cracking receptacle i which has a contained in said receptacle and penetrable by hydrocarbons and not vaporizable at the required hydrocarbon-cracking temperature, a substantially vertical stationary tubular member arranged centrally of the upper end ortion of the receptacle, meanshfor supply- '1n -iuid under pressure to said stationary` tu ular member, a cylinder slidably connected to and movable endwise of said stationary tubular member, an upright feed-pipe arranged internally o said-receptacleand attached to said cylinder and extending from the cylinder downwardly and discharging vapor-outlet,'a molten body l into the lower portion of the molten body,

a member disposed to form a seat for said feed-pipe in the lowermost position of said cylinder and arranged substantially in line vertically with said cylinder and having an interior chamber discharging into the molten body, and means for supplying a h dro-I carbon tov sawid chamber, the aforesai stationary tubular member being in communication with the aforesaid feed-pi e in any position of said lpipe and connecte cylinder.

9. Hydrocarbon-treating apparatus coma hydrocarbon-craclnng receptacle which as a vapor-outlet, a molten body contained 'in said receptacle and penetrable by hydrocarbons and not vaporizable at the desired hydrocarbon-cracking temperature, n

.an upright stationary tubular member at 'the upper en'd. portion of said receptacle,

an. endwise movable pipe arranged internally of said receptacle and extending into and communicating with the molten body,

an interiorly chambered member arrangedl to form a connection between and communieating with said pipe and tionary tubular member, said interiorly chambered connection-forming member being adapted to be actuated with and during endwise movement of said pipe, and means for supplying hydrocarbons into the molten body t rough said stationary tubular' membe/r, connected interiorly chambered member, and connected pipe.

lIn testimony whereof, I sign the foregoing specification, this 17th da of June, 1922.

FR D G. NIECE.

the aforesaid sta- 

